Ric 4002 pickup problems

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jasons0801
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Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:37 pm

Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by jasons0801 »

Please forgive my questions if they are ignorant.

I have a 4002 and recently realized that the treble pickup doesn’t work. I am using a standard cable through the standard output. When muting the bass pickup and turning the treble knob there is no sound at all. The three way switch also has no sound when in the low position.

Should I trust my local but well respected repair shop with diagnosing this or should I look elsewhere? If it’s the pickup itself I don’t want them to try to repair it. Perhaps just replace it. I know I’ll never get an actual replacement for the pickup so if it needs to be replaced what would you recommend?

Thanks for your help!
maxwell
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Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by maxwell »

It sounds like a loose connection somewhere in the circuit of that treble (bridge) pickup, or the switch itself. It's easy to remove the pickguard screws, lift the pickguard up and then flip it over. If it has to rest somewhat on your guitar (short pickup wires) put some cloth or something there so you don't scratch your guitar's finish.

You don't have to know much about this stuff -- just use a keen eye to observe.

Your non-working pickup corresponds to the switch position --> down (I'm assuming that's what you mean by "low"). Look at the leaves of the switch as you switch it from center, then up and down. Just see how it works; pretty cool. Center position: see both pair of leaves contacting. Switching pickups removes the contact of one set of leaves, turning it off. Experiment. You can plug your guitar in while doing this; no shocks, and a good way to ensure you're looking at the correct switch position for the treble pickup. You'll see that the leaves for the bass pickup are spread apart and the ones for the treble pickup should be touching, and that's good. Those contacts could have some corrosion preventing a good (closed) circuit. Drag a small piece of paper through those contact (maybe opening them up first to make it easier, then return the switch to its treble position). You should feel resistance, and at the same time you'll get some mildly abrasive cleaning of that contact point doing this. Recheck your sound.

But, you know, I think it could be that some wire has come loose, from a faulty solder connection. Just follow the wire from switch (the treble side that you were just observing) -- there should be only one single wire (black) soldered on that side of the switch -- it will be the uppermost wire as you see it with the pickguard flipped over (the bottom wire goes to a tone capacitor; looks like a small tube with wires at each end). Just follow each connection along the way as it connects with the treble volume potentiometer. You can gently wiggle each wire and see if it's loose. If you have your guitar plugged in and the amp on, you may hear some intermittent sound, which would be a good clue to where the problem is. A loose connection simply needs to be resoldered; easy to do if you're experienced.

If you have a multimeter, esp. one with an audible continuity feature, you can just test the contacts (unplug your guitar, probably) and see what spot is interrupting the circuit as you go around and check sections of the circuit. Don't place your meter's probes directly on a solder joint; touch a spot just beyond it. If you find a dead joint, but it looks and feels secure, the joint could just be a "cold" solder joint, and that just needs resoldering (a poorly done joint).

(I suppose there's an outside chance the entire volume pot is shot in a way that prevents any circuit; bypass/test with your multimeter.)

Well, that's my two cents. There are guys who build harnesses here, and someone will probably come along and fine tune my suggestions. Good luck.
jasons0801
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Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:37 pm

Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by jasons0801 »

Thank you! I’ll give it a shot. I’ve got a little experience soldering small electronics. At least I can take a look.
maxwell wrote: Fri Dec 02, 2022 6:14 pm It sounds like a loose connection somewhere in the circuit of that treble (bridge) pickup, or the switch itself. It's easy to remove the pickguard screws, lift the pickguard up and then flip it over. If it has to rest somewhat on your guitar (short pickup wires) put some cloth or something there so you don't scratch your guitar's finish.

You don't have to know much about this stuff -- just use a keen eye to observe.

Your non-working pickup corresponds to the switch position --> down (I'm assuming that's what you mean by "low"). Look at the leaves of the switch as you switch it from center, then up and down. Just see how it works; pretty cool. Center position: see both pair of leaves contacting. Switching pickups removes the contact of one set of leaves, turning it off. Experiment. You can plug your guitar in while doing this; no shocks, and a good way to ensure you're looking at the correct switch position for the treble pickup. You'll see that the leaves for the bass pickup are spread apart and the ones for the treble pickup should be touching, and that's good. Those contacts could have some corrosion preventing a good (closed) circuit. Drag a small piece of paper through those contact (maybe opening them up first to make it easier, then return the switch to its treble position). You should feel resistance, and at the same time you'll get some mildly abrasive cleaning of that contact point doing this. Recheck your sound.

But, you know, I think it could be that some wire has come loose, from a faulty solder connection. Just follow the wire from switch (the treble side that you were just observing) -- there should be only one single wire (black) soldered on that side of the switch -- it will be the uppermost wire as you see it with the pickguard flipped over (the bottom wire goes to a tone capacitor; looks like a small tube with wires at each end). Just follow each connection along the way as it connects with the treble volume potentiometer. You can gently wiggle each wire and see if it's loose. If you have your guitar plugged in and the amp on, you may hear some intermittent sound, which would be a good clue to where the problem is. A loose connection simply needs to be resoldered; easy to do if you're experienced.

If you have a multimeter, esp. one with an audible continuity feature, you can just test the contacts (unplug your guitar, probably) and see what spot is interrupting the circuit as you go around and check sections of the circuit. Don't place your meter's probes directly on a solder joint; touch a spot just beyond it. If you find a dead joint, but it looks and feels secure, the joint could just be a "cold" solder joint, and that just needs resoldering (a poorly done joint).

(I suppose there's an outside chance the entire volume pot is shot in a way that prevents any circuit; bypass/test with your multimeter.)

Well, that's my two cents. There are guys who build harnesses here, and someone will probably come along and fine tune my suggestions. Good luck.
maxwell
Member
Posts: 361
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:14 pm

Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by maxwell »

It just occurred to me that you could bypass all intermediate connections and, in that way, check to see if the pickup is working. All you'd be doing is bypassing the volume pot. If you have a lead wire (wire with alligator clips on each end) this would be easy; a little tricky to hold both ends of the wire in place and pluck a string with another finger. Clip/touch the connection on the switch where the pickup wire proper is soldered, and then clip/touch the other end of the wire to the very last connection, which is where the wire that goes to the output jack connects to the output lug volume pot.
jasons0801
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Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2008 7:37 pm

Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by jasons0801 »

I took it apart this afternoon and figured out it was the standard output jack that was causing the problem. I noticed that if I put a little pressure on the cable, the treble pickup worked. I saw that the “make/break” connection on the jack wasn’t being made. A little bend and all was well. I took the opportunity while inside to clean up a couple solder connections too.

Thank you very much for the information. I walked through all of it before finding the real culprit.
maxwell wrote: Fri Dec 02, 2022 9:43 pm It just occurred to me that you could bypass all intermediate connections and, in that way, check to see if the pickup is working. All you'd be doing is bypassing the volume pot. If you have a lead wire (wire with alligator clips on each end) this would be easy; a little tricky to hold both ends of the wire in place and pluck a string with another finger. Clip/touch the connection on the switch where the pickup wire proper is soldered, and then clip/touch the other end of the wire to the very last connection, which is where the wire that goes to the output jack connects to the output lug volume pot.
maxwell
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Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by maxwell »

Nice work! :)
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jdogric12
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Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by jdogric12 »

Does the XLR output still work?
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iiipopes
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Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by iiipopes »

I had the same thing happen to my 4002 years ago - to the point I contacted the factory and got what I believe was the last uninstalled bridge pickup. When I took the plate off and went to install the replacement pickup, I saw a loose wire to a pot. I simply resoldered the wire, re-flowed a couple of connections that looked insecure, and everything was fine.

I also had the same thing happen as the OP on the standard jack getting scratchy and intermittent on my 12-string. A careful cleaning put everything back in order.

I share your relief that it wasn't more serious.
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lumgimfong
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Re: Ric 4002 pickup problems

Post by lumgimfong »

Mighty satisfyin’ to fix it yourself and not have to leave it with a repair man for days!!
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